Rafale wins India's MMRCA

GarryB wrote:

MIG 35 is very good a/c but problem is not in production as of now and India is going to be in crisis pretty soon as 3 sq of MIG 21, MIG 27 wll be retired this year

The MiG-35 is certainly not in production right now, but in the mean time the MiG-29M2 that the Mig-35 is based on could be produced in the short term... potentially in India if you want to go that way.

AFAIK the MiG-35 the Russian AF are going for is not the same as the one offered to India, so India might want the new version or prefer the design that was submitted to them.... from memory the terms of the original deal was that the maker will provide 16 aircraft and the rest (110) will be assembled in India. Personally I think having the first 16 being MiG-29M2s and the first 55 produced in India (with a production facility upgrade), to be followed by the remaining 55 produced in India being MiG-35 plus upgrade of the 16 Russian produced and 55 Indian produced MiG-29M2s upgraded to 35 level would be a good solution. With the lower cost and local production I would expect another option could be to keep some aircraft simpler and cheaper M2 models for roles that don't require 35 level performance and just make 200 aircraft instead of 126.

Say 30% being 35s and the other 140 being M2s that gradually get 35 upgrades as the technology gets cheaper.

Analysts say the Russians could receive increased orders for SU-30MKI aircraft.

"The Russians may also benefit as additional orders for Sukhoi may be in the offing, given that the plan for buying all 126 Rafale may be scaled down to between 60-90," Bhonsle said. "The deficiency will be made up by additional Su-30 MKI."

"India has not forgotten the Russians and the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft will definitely happen," said Ankur Gupta, defense analyst with Ernest & Young.

July seems to be also the time when PM Modi is in Russia for his visit and meeting.. Hearing Russians had explicitely said they also want some major purchases finalised to showcase they are India's primary partners. In short they want India to purchase Russian arms... Also it seems president Putin had been mighty pleased with downsizing of Rafale deal and russian state offices are quick to point it as fallout of Mistral and India swinging its biggest order downsizing in response to Mistral fiasco.. BTW, Russians had thrown in everything for India to choose- New subs , new ships, new long ranged SAMs.. (S300/400), Armata platform, PAKFA program finalisation, Su35, etc etc .. The list is getting longer..

An important point is if the mentality of MOD and Indian PMO establishment is what DM Parrikkar said before about choices available in a shopping mart and affordability.. the chances of Russian arms increases especially the jets as its comparatively lower priced then western counterparts... Not comparing quality parameters atm of course. or the lifetime cost too

I think weak engine. poor tot. high cost

kill the rafale

India and France have started to discuss terms of the deal on the purchase of Rafale

Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said that the talks between the Indian and the French side to supply 36 Rafale fighter jets have already begun.

NEW DELHI, July 21 - RIA Novosti. India and France have started to discuss the terms of the deal to acquire 36 fighter Rafale, said Tuesday the Indian Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar.

"It was approved by the members of the delegation to discuss terms and conditions of delivery of 36 fighter aircraft Rafale, as well as make recommendations on the draft agreement. The talks between the Indian and the French side have already begun," - he said, answering a question from a member of the upper house of the Indian Parliament.

Earlier in June, French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said the deal on the purchase of Rafale fighter jets India could be concluded within the next two to three months. The head of the French aviation group Dassault Aviation Eric TRAP said earlier that he hoped the final approval of the transaction by the parties this year.

During a visit to France on April 10, Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi announced an agreement between his country and France to purchase 36 fighters Rafale. Indian Defence Minister said that in future the transaction for the purchase of fighter jets will be implemented through intergovernmental agreements. Earlier, India had planned to buy 126 aircraft.

Dassault Rafale (literal translation - "Squall") - French fourth generation multi-role fighter designed by the French company Dassault Aviation. The first flight of the fighter made in 1986, the Naval Forces and Air France received in 2004 and 2006, respectively.

https://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=2&hl=en&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http://ria.ru/world/20150721/1139865092.html&usg=ALkJrhijuv8q_u6UPk-HsDVTh-QOKC91Aw

Indian government withdraws multi-billion tender for 126 MMRC jets for which Rafale was shortlisted in 2012.


End of this thread.

French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian is expected to sign the Dassault Rafale fighter aircraft contract with India on August 31.

French publication Tribune reported today that Le Drain would be visiting Malaysia on August 30 probably to get Kuala Lumpur to purchase the two Mistral warships which were recently taken over by France after paying compensation to Russia.

“On the way back the defence minister would be visiting New Delhi to sign the contract for 36 Rafale jets,” the publication said.

There is no confirmation of this information from the Indian side.

French media reported last week that the Indian Rafale contract would be signed in 10 days.

If the information is correct, it brings to an end over five years of India's quest to purchase a Medium Multi-role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) and three years of negotiations with Dassaullt.

The Indian Air Force's long standing demand for an urgent purcurement of MMRCA aircraft would have finally been met.

India will consider alternatives to France’s Rafale combat aircraft, the head of the country’s air force said on Thursday.

Arul Raha voiced hope that the contract for the supply of 36 fighters will be signed by the end of 2015, but added that this amount was not enough and that the country should consider other options.


“The Indian Air Force needs at least 108 fighters to serve the basis for six full squadrons. It can be Rafale or any other plane with similar characteristics,” Raha said.

He stressed that the Air Force did not insist on the acquisition of the Rafale planes.

“After the multi-billion dollar tender for the supply of 126 medium-range multirole combat aircraft was scrapped, we hoped to get new offers, which can also be implemented with the participation of the domestic aviation industry as part of the ‘Made in India’” program, he added.

In mid-February it became known that India had refused to buy the 126 Rafale planes after the final price exceeded by almost half the initial price tag of $10 billion.

MMRCA — one of the world’s biggest tenders for the supply of military aircraft – had in mind the purchase of 126 Rafale aircraft for the Indian Air Force. France’s Dessault Company won the tender in in January 2012.

Source: http://sputniknews.com/asia/20151009/1028252121/india-rafale-alternative.html

So the result is france gets trolled by US with blackmail over Mistral and by India over Rafael...

Werewolf wrote:So the result is france gets trolled by US with blackmail over Mistral and by India over Rafael...

lol well said

i am seeing India buying minimum of 4 sq of Su 35s fighters as IAF chief has already clarified that they have no objection if they get gets the warplane with similar capabilities of Rafale from other country

sepheronx wrote:

Werewolf wrote:So the result is france gets trolled by US with blackmail over Mistral and by India over Rafael...

Well, Egypt has signed for the Mistral.  But the Mistral will be cheaper due to it being technically used, thus France lost money on it.  And Russia may gain some in selling equipment.

France is them selves to blame for this mess for being very rigid and ever priced Rafales and huge delays in domestic manufacture of scorpene subs. Now the substitute fr rafale is going to be su 35 s or may be even super sukhois the upgraded s0 30mki

NEW DELHI: Crossing a significant milestone in negotiations for the 36-aircraft Rafale fighter deal, India and France have firmed up an understanding on the offsets segment under which the French have agreed to invest 50 per cent of the deal's worth in related sectors.


The offsets deal was clinched in the last few days, people aware of the matter told ET. Even as the deal was being reached, French aircraft manufacturer Dassault had already reached out to Indian companies in the defence and security industry for possible Make in India partnerships. Estimated at $4.5 billion, or about Rs 30,000 crore, this will make it one of India's biggest-ever offsets deals.

The negotiations will move toward settling the contract for the actual aircraft sale. Since this is a government-to-government transaction, sources said, both sides will now open and examine Dassault's commercial bid. From this will flow the main negotiations on final price, lifecycle costs and other details related to the aircraft itself.

As ET had first reported on September 29, a breakthrough in the offsets deal was imminent after a top-level French team led by engineer-general Stephhane Reb, director of the international directorate of the DGA (General Directorate for Armament), came to India for talks that set the stage for the final paperwork.

Following this, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met French President Francois Hollande at the UN General Assembly session in New York. Matters have moved at a rapid pace after the Defence Acquisitions Committee gave the green signal on September 1 for negotiations to start.


The deal for off-the-shelf purchase of 36 Rafale aircraft was reached during Modi's trip to Paris in April. It was stuck for over four months on pricing and offsets issues, which have been partly addressed after high-level political intervention. Both sides will eventually work out an intergovernmental agreement through which the French government will stand guarantor to all commitments that Dassault will undertake in the contract.

Read more at:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/49487260.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

India and France will sign the deal for 36 Rafale fighter jets on the eve of French President François Hollande's visit to India for the Republic Day celebrations.


Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar is hopeful that India will negotiate price upto 25 per cent less. The advance fighter jet will cost India 75 million euro each instead of 105 million euro quoted earlier.

The supply of full consignment of 36 fighters to the Indian Air Force will be completed within seven years of signing the deal.

The draft contract, which envisages supply of the first fighter within 36 months of signing the deal, has been finalised.

India's mammoth defence requirements and the swift manoeuvrability shown by the government towards accepting new proposals have led to considerable posturing from various powers.

The defence deal will be a big statement for India-France strategic ties. With the purchase, the government hopes to tide over the shortage of fighter jets in the Indian Air Force (IAF).

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/indias-rafael-punch-deal-with-france-on-january-25/1/556130.html

NEW DELHI: Hectic activity around the Rafale fighter jet deal has South Block on the edge. Barely a month is left for French President Fracois Hollande to arrive in New Delhi as the chief guest for Republic Day. India and France are expected to sign the deal for 36 Rafale aircraft in flyaway condition during the visit. Officials say technical negotiations are complete, but commercial bids are to be finalised. Negotiations to be completed by July are delayed. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) had constituted a committee headed by Air Marshal SBP Sinha to engage with the French team. “The unit price is still an issue. Efforts are being made to finalise it before the French President’s visit,” said a source. Once done, the first jet will land in India within three years with a cost hike of 2-3 per cent.

http://www.newindianexpress.com/thesundaystandard/MoD-Races-to-Cover-Rafale-Delay/2015/12/27/article3197681.ece

NEW DELHI: The Indian Air Force's quest for a Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) is finally over with the Indian government confirming the order for 36 Rafale jets with the French government.

According to sources, documents for the government-to-government deal were delivered by New Delhi to Paris on New Year's eve, and the agreement is on the same lines as that for the Mirage 2000 aircraft signed in the early 1980s. IAF will buy all the Rafale aircraft from Dassault, the French aircraft builder and integrator, in a flyaway condition.

As the deal is between governments, the French authorities will ensure that Dassault complies with the terms of reference as it has successfully done in the case of Mirage 2000 -- about 60 of which were delivered beginning 1985. The basic agreement was for 49 and 10 more were acquired later.

Significantly, this is the second deal for IAF - and Indian Army - within one week, the other being for Russian Kamov 226T helicopters signed on Christmas Eve with the Russian Government in Moscow during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit there. That deal involves substantial manufacture of these machines in India as the number is large -- more than 200.

It may be noted that originally IAF was to acquire 126 aircraft after the Rafale was selected in the MMRCA competition some time back, 18 in flyaway condition and 108 as progressively assembled and made in India by HAL under part Transfer of Technology (ToT). Private industry was to be involved, but HAL's share was negotiated as more than 70 percent.

There were a lot of hiccups, over costs of the aircraft -- over $100 million-plus per aircraft -- and offsets from the Indian side and responsibility over the quality of production in India from the French side. Finally, keeping in mind IAF's urgent requirements, the prime minister intervened to order 36 aircraft, or two squadrons, in a direct government-to-government deal during his visit to Paris in April.

This time, the deal involved no production in India but there were still some hiccups over the 50 percent stipulated offsets although aircraft costs would by and large have been the same as for the French Air Force (ArmA©e de l'Air). Offset obligations would always be additional.

Modi, intervening again, spoke directly with French President Francois Hollande on telephone in early September, and expressed difficulty in concluding the deal without the offsets. Hollande graciously agreed, and IAF approved the deal in mid-December. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) delivered a copy of the Inter-Government Agreement in this regard through the established diplomatic channels just as the New Year was set to begin.

Under the deal, Dassault and its main partners -- engine-maker Safran and electronic systems-maker Thales -- will share some technology with DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) and maybe some private sector companies and HAL under the offsets clause. Details are not known but as the aircraft have to be flown and maintained in India for at least three-to-four decades, a lot of information and technology upgrades will be needed to keep them operational.


The twin-engine Rafale combat jet is designed from the beginning as a multi-role fighter for air-to-air and air-to-ground attacks, is nuclear- capable and, thanks to its onboard Electronic Warfare (EW) systems, can also perform reconnaissance and radar jamming roles.

The deal involves delivery of aircraft to begin within three years of signing the agreement -- 2018-end in this case -- but French industry sources told this writer some time back in Paris that Dassault had started planning for the Indian order from mid-2015 itself, and "maybe the deliveries could be faster, if required".

Last year had been lucky for Dassault as the Rafale has also been selected by Egypt and Qatar, while the UAE is considering it seriously.


There are suddenly too many orders, and the only way to meet them is to divert the French Air Force requirements for the next few years. That is being done.

Read more at:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/50443377.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

Franco-Indian Rafale Saga Ends? Deal is Close to Getting Signed

Read more: http://sputniknews.com/military/20160106/1032761180/india-france-rafale-fighter-jet-deal.html#ixzz3wTxiCgRz

Werewolf wrote:So the result is france gets trolled by US with blackmail over Mistral and by India over Rafael...

The French actually got trolled by Poland. They had agreed to stop sale of Mistral if the Poles agreed to buy 50 Caracal helicopters. They reneged and only ordered 10.

French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian is scheduled to visit India shortly to oversee the conclusion of the inter-governmental agreement for direct purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets and clear the path for signing the final agreement.

Informed sources said Mr. Drian was visiting India specifically for the Rafale deal and was likely to be in Delhi on January 18.

As reported by The Hindu earlier, both sides are working to conclude the deal ahead of French President Fancois Hollande’s visit to India as the chief guest for the Republic Day parade on January 26. “The deal was announced at the highest level politically; so both sides want to make sure it is adhered to,” officials said earlier.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said recently that the deal was “in the final stages of price negotiations” and issues such as the 50 per cent offset clause have “almost been sorted out”.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit to Paris last April, had announced the direct purchase of 36 Rafale fighter aircraft from France through a government-to-government deal as quickly as possible in view of the “critical operational necessity” of the Air Force, sidestepping the original medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) contest.

However, negotiations by a high-powered committee set up to reach the terms and conditions of the deal and recommend a draft agreement hit a road block because of differences, especially over offsets, unit price and changes in configuration.

The offset clause applies for defence deals over Rs. 300 crore under which companies are to invest 30 per cent of the value of the contract back in the country. For the MMRCA deal, the government had fixed it at 50 per cent. In addition, the Air Force wanted some structural changes on the aircraft.

France had insisted that the cost of the deal would go up and delivery timelines delayed due to the offset clause and changes sought. Official sources said a workaround had now been agreed upon.


http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/french-defence-minister-to-visit-india-over-rafale-deal/article8086546.ece

NEW DELHI: With barely a week left for the arrival of French President Francois Hollande in the national capital, a crucial deal to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets from France has hit turbulence.

Nine months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced in Paris India’s plans to buy the fighter aircraft directly from the French government, officials of the finance wing of the Ministry of Defence are worried about the high costs of the warplanes, which has turned out to be way above their calculations. According to officials, the 36 jets will cost $12 billion and will include aircraft in fly-away condition, weapon systems and a maintenance support package.

In December, the Cost Negotiation Committee (CNC) completed other parts of the deal, but price negotiations are ongoing. “Contract cost of the 36 Rafale has reached approximately $12 billion under flyway condition with weapon systems and a maintenance support package. It is way beyond our anticipated calculations. Efforts are on to negotiate it,” a source privy to the development told Express.

Sources added that after the CNC submits its report, the deal will require clearance from the Ministry of Finance and a final nod from the Cabinet Committee on Security before being signed by the two sides. However, sources maintained that in any Inter-Government Agreement (IGA), prices were always expected to be about 2-3 per cent higher than competitive bidding.

According to a key agreement, France has agreed to 30 per cent offsets in the Rafale deal, which means French companies like Dassault — which manufactures Rafale — will have to plough 30 per cent of the contract value back into India as offsets.

“During earlier 126 MMRCA deal with Dassult of $20 billion, the Defence Ministry had asked for a 50 per cent offset clause. But now the offset has been reduced to 30 per cent because we are buying only 36 under fly-away condition,” a source said.

The Ministry of Defence had constituted the CNC, headed by Air Marshal SBP Sinha, to hold negotiations with the French team, which was scheduled to be completed by July. R-DAY GETS

New Punch

New Delhi: Until now, the Republic Day has been a government function, but this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants people to participate so that January 26 truly represents nationalistic spirit. For this, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has organised social media contests to involve people in the national event. The contests will be conducted on Facebook, Twitter and Graffiti. Earlier, only the Ministry of Defence was involved in Republic Day celebrations at the national level. In Graffiti, people will be asked to create colourful theme sketches on the I&B Ministry’s official website. The themes will include Start Up India, Stand Up India, Digital Empowerment, Entrepreneurs of Young India, Skilled India, Powerful India, Make In India, Financial Security to All and Housing For All.

http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/Negotiation-Gap-Money-Constraints-Prevent-Rafale-Deal-From-Taking-Off/2016/01/17/article3230449.ece

Now is indian govt has little bit of sensible mind left then dump this deal even now and go for mix of Su 34 and Su 35 and work on FGFA with Russia

India To Evaluate Rafale for Navy

NEW DELHI — In an expected move, the Indian government has directed the Navy to undertake detailed briefings with Dassault Aviation regarding the Rafale aircraft.

An Indian Defence Ministry source said the government wants commonalities between logistics and spares for fighters with the Navy and Air Force.

A detailed briefing on Rafale for the Indian Navy is planned here for Jan. 29, he said, but declined to comment if India will buy Rafales for the Navy as well.

A Navy official said the service needs 54 fighter aircraft but refused to say if Rafale has been shortlisted.

Meanwhile, French President Francois Hollande will arrive in India Jan. 24 along with French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian to sign the protocol agreement (an inter-governmental agreement ) on purchase of 36 Rafales and a formal agreement will be signed in New Delhi Jan. 25.

Last week, India's National Security Adviser Ajit Doval flew to Paris to give final approval on the protocol agreement and to finalize the offsets and weapon package.

Besides providing 36 Rafale fighters over three years, Dassault Aviation will also set up new facilities for Rafale aircraft at two Indian Air Force bases.

The MoD source added that the entire deal, including weapons package, would cost over $9 billion. But he gave no time frame when the final contract will be signed.

The governments of India and France have been working on the Rafale deal since April under which France will provide an offset of under 50 percent.

Funding of the 36 Rafale fighters will be a big challenge, said another MoD source.

The funding time line has not been decided yet, he added.

The Indian MoD is also drafting new guidelines under which the French defense companies involved will have to pay penalties if spares are not available or performance is unsatisfactory.

http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/air-space/strike/2016/01/19/india-evaluate-rafale-navy/79013702/

After US now france too is offering white elephant rafale but its goin to be modified version of MIG29K. although rafale too will be common with as IAF too will operating this fighter

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday that India has agreed to buy 36 Rafale combat jets from France, but the financial details of the deal have yet to be worked out.
Modi was speaking after hosting French President Francois Hollande for talks in New Delhi.
Hollande called the Rafale deal a "decisive" step, and added that the financial issues that will be sorted out in couple of days.

The French President had said that commercial talks would have to be wrapped up to close the deal that was first announced when Modi visited France last spring.


"The Rafale is a major project for India and France. It will pave the way for an unprecedented industrial and technological cooperation, including 'Make in India', for the next 40 years. Agreeing on the technicalities of this arrangement obviously takes time, but we are on the right track", Hollande said on Sunday.
Top Comment

India and France have been negotiating the financial structure of the Rafale purchase from Dassault Aviation, since the announcement of the deal was made by Prime Minister Modi in April during his visit to France.

As part of that deal, there are expected to be significant "offsets", or related French investments that Prime Minister Modi hopes will support his "Make in India" initiative to develop the manufacturing sector.

Earlier on Monday, speaking at the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, finance minister Michel Sapin said that French companies will invest $10 billion in India over the next five years, mainly in the industrial sector

"Over the last five years, French companies have invested more than $1 billion per year in India," Sapin said in New Delhi. "We estimate that they will continue to invest at least $10 billion over the next five years."


http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-signs-accord-to-buy-36-Rafale-jets-from-France-financial-details-yet-to-be-worked-out/articleshow/50716924.cms

The purchase eats up defence acquisition budget

A highlight of French President Francois Hollande's India visit was the signing of a government-to-government agreement on the purchase of two squadrons of the Rafale multi-role fighter aircraft. But continuing price negotiations, already protracted, stand in the way of a formal contract. It bears recalling that the Rafale offer from Dassault was chosen over rival bids exactly four years ago, in January 2012. That was to have been a contract for 126 aircraft, of which the first 18 were to have been handed over by 2015, with the rest being assembled or made locally. Instead, the rapidly rising cost of the aircraft (deliberately under-stated by Dassault) forced the government last year to cancel the deal as unaffordable, and to decide on buying just two squadrons, without any condition for local assembly or manufacture. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced that the new, restricted deal would be concluded in about three months; but negotiations continue even after nine months. The cost, meanwhile, has ballooned to an astronomical $250 million per plane (about Rs 1,700 crore). That is equivalent to the cost of perhaps three or four heavier Su-MK30 planes from Russia, and about 10 of the home-made Tejas light combat aircraft (quoted price: Rs 162 crore). In truth, therefore, the Rafale continues to be unaffordable. The implication of buying a very expensive aircraft is that it will eat up a good chunk of the defence acquisition budget, leaving less money for other badly-needed equipment-for all the forces.

One reason for why the government is sticking with the Rafale may be that the air force is short of fighters, and inordinate time has already been invested in the purchase process. Arguably, the air force could simply buy many more Su-MK30s and scrap the Rafale deal. Two factors mitigate against this: the poor serviceability of the Russian plane (frequent engine failures, with barely half the 200-odd Sukhois air-worthy at any given time), and the poor logic in deploying heavy, fuel-guzzling planes in situations where smaller, lighter ones are better suited for the job. Fortunately, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has focused on improving Sukhoi serviceability through new deals on maintenance or spare parts which could improve engine life and cut down maintenance delays. Meanwhile, Hindustan Aeronautics is said to be expanding its servicing capabilities.

The high cost and poor serviceability of foreign aircraft (with long-term dependence for the supply of critical spare parts) underline the importance of developing indigenous capabilities. An important issue here is the reluctance on the part of the air force brass to invest time and energy in supporting the indigenisation process-a contrast with the navy's more productive stance. The air force brass has been quizzical of the Tejas light-combat aircraft project, at a time when replacements for the ageing MiG-21s are urgently required. Indeed, the air force has been so sold on the Rafale that it has even obfuscated on the joint project with the Russians to develop a fifth-generation fighter aircraft. Again, Mr Parrikar seems to have banged heads together, because the Indian Air Force and Hindustan Aeronautics have now agreed on the improvements that will be made to the Rafale (to improve its survivability and also ease of maintenance), following which orders for 100 aircraft will be placed. It is now up to HAL to ensure that it delivers on time and with the quality required.

http://www.business-standard.com/article/opinion/rafale-deal-an-expensive-buy-116012701150_1.html

India keen on US’s F/A-18 jet offer



The Indian defence establishment is showing "increasing interest" in the American offer to supply F/A-18 "Super Hornet" fighters to IAF under the Make in India programme, even as US defence secretary Ash Carter is all set to come visiting from April 10 to 12 to further crank up the bilateral strategic partnership.

With IAF down to just 33 fighter squadrons, and the much-touted Rs 60,000 crore acquisition of 36 French Rafale fighters yet to be clinched a year after the Modi-Hollande summit in Paris announced the proposed deal, sources say India is now also actively exploring the possibility of going in for the F/A-18 fighters manufactured by Boeing.

Ahead of Carter's three-day visit to India, US government representatives as well as Boeing and F-16 manufacturer Lockheed Martin have made "detailed presentations" to the Indian establishment on the suitability of establishing an American fighter production line in India. "Both the offers (Boeing and Lockheed Martin) are attractive for the Make in India strategy. No final decision has been taken," said a source.

But India may well pitch for the twin-engine F/A-18s over the single-engine F-16s. For one, Boeing is offering "a new-generation production line" to be set up in India. For another, the Navy could also consider the F/A-18s in the years ahead since the multi-role fighters are capable of operating from aircraft carriers.

India, of course, remains upset with the Obama administration's recent move to sell another eight F-16s to Pakistan for $699 million on the specious ground of counter-terrorism, which will now also be followed by nine AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters for $170 million. Overall, Pakistan will now have 84-85 F-16s primarily directed at India


The move to get a second fighter production line, in addition to Tejas light combat aircraft project, ties up with defence minister Manohar Parrikar recent remark that "a fighter project" was in the "zone of consideration" under the Make in India policy.

This is considered critical since the 36 Rafales — if and when they come — will not be enough to plug IAF's rapidly-dwindling fighter numbers. Both the F/A-18s and F-16s were part of the hotly-contested race for India's original $20 billion MMRCA (medium multi-role combat aircraft) project to acquire 126 fighters. Though Rafale was selected over its five rivals, the entire MMRCA project was scrapped early last year. India had then decided to directly buy only 36 Rafales.

Besides, Carter will also push again for India to ink three bilateral "foundational agreements": the logistics support agreement, the communication interoperability and security memorandum agreement and the basic exchange and cooperation agreement for geo-spatial cooperation.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-keen-on-USs-F/A-18-jet-offer/articleshow/51706566.cms